She was in the class ahead of me, was known at our school for her involvement in performing arts and was already attending Colorado State University when the whispering started: “Did you hear? She was raped.” “Someone told me she was raped.“ “I haven’t seen much of her lately, but I heard she was raped.“

I don’t remember the details of her ordeal, if I ever knew them, but I do remember the dropped voices and the shocked expressions and the almost accusatory whispers — like maybe, just maybe, it was something she did or something she didn’t do, or maybe she could have done something.

I was pretty sure at the time that she was the only person I knew who had been the victim of sexual assault, even though there were more than 1,800 students in my high school and more than 18,000 students at CSU at the time. I have learned since that 1 out of every 6 women in the United States has been the victim of rape or attempted rape and, according to the Department of Justice, between 20 percent and 25 percent of female students will be the victims of rape or attempted rape while they’re in college. Only about 5 percent of them will report their assaults to officials at their schools.

It is these alarming statistics that have prompted a number of high-profile initiatives designed to change the culture that allows these horrors to continue.

Last week, the superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy announced an investigation into claims of sexual assault and other misconduct among its cadet athletes. The allegations, according to The (Colorado Springs) Gazette, arose from a party in 2011 in which athletes used synthetic marijuana and engaged in “nonconsensual sex” with partners who had been given date-rape drugs. There were no criminal charges filed in connection with that party, The Gazette reported, but eight of the 32 cadets investigated were punished and dismissed for other misconduct, including three who were court-martialed and sentenced on sexual assault charges.

“This past behavior was troubling,” Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson said, “and suggested certain subcultures that were inconsistent with the culture of commitment and climate of respect we work hard to uphold.”

They are — or at least should be — behaviors inconsistent with the commitment all of us should make to our children and to our better selves.

To that end, a bipartisan group of senators has announced legislation which will increase financial punishment on colleges and universities which violate Title IX by mishandling sexual assaults on campus. The Campus Safety and Accountability Act would require schools to create a confidential adviser to guide sexual assault victims through an often intimidating and arduous reporting process and would require sexual assault surveys to give parents and students needed information about school safety. It would also create uniform investigation processes and increase fines associated with violating existing campus safety laws.

In addition, The U.S. Department of Education is conducting a wide-reaching investigation of the way universities’ and colleges’ handle sexual assault allegations. CSU was recently added to the investigation, which now includes as many as 67 institutions in 32 states. It is important to note that inclusion in the investigation does not necessarily mean that a school did anything wrong. Although some schools are indeed being investigated because of complaints, others were included following compliance reviews. CSU is one of those.

“We are done with the days of asking victims why they drank too much or wore the wrong thing,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., co-sponsor of the Campus Safety and Accountability Act, at a news conference in July. “Those days are done.”

We know they’re not, but these efforts could be a step toward that goal.

The start of a new academic year begins in the next few weeks for thousands of students across the country. We owe it to them to provide a place where they can learn and grow in safety, where accountability flows downward, where support and justice are ingrained in the culture instead of violence and shame — or whispers and rumors.

Erin Stephensonson is a publishing editor at The Coloradoan. Contact her at ErinStephenson@coloradoan.com.